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Song of the Day: Peter Gabriel “I Grieve”

I was 10 when September 11th shook America…too young to understand the scale and tragedy of it, especially while living in a tiny town so far away. And so, when there was an enormous creative outburst of songs about it, I missed a lot of them. And a lot of them (while heartfelt) were musically missable. Peter Gabriel’s “I Grieve” was not, perfectly encapsulating the desperation that inspired it while offering a glimmer of hope for the future. And so now, 14 years later, as I am surrounded by the tragedy that Paris has faced, I find myself turning back to it for comfort.

I initially worried that his more upbeat bridge might frustrate me. That it might leave me feeling more angry and sad. Yet it gives me hope. Saturday afternoon I made a point of going outside to do some grocery shopping and was pleasantly surprised and comforted by the number of people going about their daily lives in my neighborhood. In the midst of tragedy, “life carries on.” We move on. Our grief never truly leaves…we carry it with us daily and remember it. We send love and our broken hearts to those that need them. And, when faced with terror and sorrow, we also continue and gain comfort in that continuation.

I grieve for all of Paris and everyone affected by Friday night. I grieve for Beirut. I grieve for The Bataclan. I grieve for those whose religion, love and comfort have been appropriated by radicals. And I grieve for those growing up in a world where all we can do is pray that those we love will never be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I will continue to carry on.